Created by the Swiss fine watchmaking Maison as part of its mission to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, the immersive sound-and-light show tells the story of the Golden Ratio, the unique mathematical formula that defines aesthetic harmony. Open free of charge to the public, it is an invitation to discover the elemental links between the beauty found in nature and in the most pleasing of man-made objects – from art and architecture to fine watches, and in particular the timeless Art Deco design of the Reverso, which was created in 1931.

A spectacular digital show projected onto a giant screen of falling water overlooking the River Thames, The Golden Ratio Musical Show is amplified by a spellbinding soundtrack composed by the ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS and commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme of artistic collaborations.

On the evening of 14 September, Jaeger-LeCoultre hosted a private gala dinner, during which TØKIO M¥ERS gave a live performance of his soundtrack during The Golden Ratio Musical Show, accompanied by the renowned Bourne Orchestra – a collaboration between musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra. He followed this with a concert of other selected works, complete with the special effects that make his live performances so compelling.

Among the guests were the award-winning actor Nicholas Hoult, Ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre, actors Mimi Keene, Finn Cole, Sonoya Mizuno, Freya Allan and Gregg Sulkin. The British filmmaker and television presenter Reggie Yates was Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

The 1931 Cinema, located at Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the River Thames, and The Golden Ratio Musical Show offered the public the opportunity to experience design, craft and watchmaking in an entirely new cultural context.

WITH AN ORIGINAL SYMPHONY COMPOSED BY TØKIO M¥ERS

From 14^th – 17^th September 2023, Jaeger-LeCoultre will have the pleasure of welcoming guests to The Golden Ratio Musical Show in London. Presented at the 1931 Cinema, a specially created venue at the newly restored Battersea Power Station, the inspiring sound-and-light show celebrates the Golden Ratio – the unique mathematical formula that defines the aesthetic harmony that we humans are instinctively drawn to. The ground-breaking British musician, TØKIO M¥ERS, has composed a new soundtrack especially for the show, commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme.

Presenting Design in a New Cultural Context

With The Golden Ratio Musical Show and 1931 Cinema, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, exploring their elemental links through the lens of the Reverso watch, which is widely acknowledged as an icon of 20^th century design. Taking its name from the year that the Reverso was born, the 1931 Cinema offers guests a deep immersion in the style and ambience of that period. Enhancing the experience, refreshments will be provided by the 1931 Café. The outdoor cinema concept also pays homage to the world’s first drive-in movie theatre, which opened in 1933 and spawned a new form of entertainment that was to become embedded in popular culture.

The Art Deco-inspired design of the 1931 Cinema will be enhanced by its location at Battersea Power Station, one of London’s most spectacular Art Deco buildings and a new retail, leisure and cultural destination for the capital. Originally conceived as a purely functional and box-like structure, its beautiful exterior is the work of British architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, who was commissioned to redesign it, adding Art Deco glamour and the four iconic chimneys, which are synonymous of the London skyline. Construction of the Power Station began in 1929 with the first half, Station A completed in 1933, and the second half, Station B in 1955. At its peak Battersea Power Station produced a fifth of London’s electricity. 

An Enthralling Sound-and-Light Show

The centrepiece of the 1931 Cinema is The Golden Ratio Musical Show, a spectacular sound-and-light show projected onto a giant screen of falling water. The 10-minute show tells the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters: tracing the path from the observation of nature and the hidden harmonies that connect its most beautiful forms, to the scientific examination of the mystical properties of beauty and the quest to define their geometry, which led to the discovery of the mathematical formula 1.618, also known as Phi (φ). It continues by exploring how this ‘golden number’ or ‘divine proportion’ has marked European cultural history, architecture and art ever since it was identified, and concludes by presenting the Reverso, created at the height of the Art Deco movement, which expresses the spirit of the Golden Ratio with utmost eloquence.

A Specially Commissioned Soundtrack by TØKIO M¥ERS

For The Golden Ratio Musical Show, Jaeger-LeCoultre commissioned a soundtrack from the British musician and composer TØKIO M¥ERS, who is gaining worldwide recognition as one of the most original artists to emerge in recent years. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, celebrated for his experimental fusions of classical music with cinematic, hip-hop, dance, ‘90s soul and other influences, TØKIO M¥ERS is also a gifted pianist and percussionist, and a performer of immense range and dynamic power. Through compositions that transcend time and genres, he creates dialogues between the past and present, redefining what classical music can be.

Having taken inspiration from time spent at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in the Swiss Jura mountains, TØKIO M¥ERS says that he wrote the piece “with the explicit intention of amplifying the emotional impact of the digital projection”. He describes the new work as “a short symphony in four chapters, or movements, that takes the listener on a powerful journey”. Reinforcing the Golden Ratio theme, he translated the number 1.618 into a tempo of 161.8 beats per minute. “I incorporated the Golden Ratio as the driving tempo throughout the piece. I’ve never written in this tempo before and it’s a wonderful tempo to write in,” he says.

London Dates on a World Tour

Following its debut during Shanghai International Film Festival in early June, The Golden Ratio Musical Show and 1931 Cinema began a world tour in Los Angeles. The London season runs from 14^th – 17^th September at Battersea Power Station and it will be open to the public, free of charge, offering the opportunity to experience design and watchmaking in an entirely new cultural context.

On the night of the 14^th September, at an invitation-only gala, TØKIO M¥ERS will give a live performance of his soundtrack. He will be accompanied by The Bourne Orchestra, a collaboration between musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Chamber Orchestra. This will be followed by a concert of his other work, accompanied by the signature lighting that make his solo performances so dynamic.

The 1931 Cinema will be open free of charge to the public from the 14^th September to the 17^th September, with The Golden Ratio Musical Show running all day on a 20-minute cycle.

Following its London season, the 1931 Cinema and The Golden Ratio Musical Show will travel to Dubai.

The Golden Ratio Musical Show

Battersea Power Station, London, SW8 5BN

Opening day on 14^th September from 11am to 6pm

From 15^th – 16^th September from 11am to 10pm

17^th September from 11am to 9pm

Open to public. Free of charge. 

Register on https://online-booking.jaeger-lecoultre.com/atelier/58

MADE OF MAKERS PROGRAMME TO CELEBRATE THE DESIGN OF REVERSO

Continuing to expand its cultural universe, Jaeger-LeCoultre announces the latest instalment in its Made of Makers programme: a new collaboration with the ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS.

Expanding the Dialogue Between Watchmaking and the Arts

Through a series of collaborations with artists, designers and craftsmen from disciplines outside watchmaking, Made of Makers explores and extends the dialogue that naturally exists between horology and art. The programme focuses on artists who share Jaeger-LeCoultre’s values of creativity, expertise and precision, with nature at its core, exploring new forms of artistic expression through different and often unexpected materials and media. Like the watchmakers of La Grande Maison, these artists and innovators have a deep respect for the past as their creative foundation and a springboard for their trailblazing work. To date, Made of Makers has embraced the worlds of contemporary art and gastronomy and, through the new collaboration with TØKIO M¥ERS, adds music to the portfolio.

A Rising International Star with a Unique Style

A pianist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, TØKIO M¥ERS has become celebrated for his experimental approach to classical music. An artist of immense range and dynamic power, his highly original approach to creating and performing music has established him as one of the most exciting artists to emerge in recent years. A musical alchemist, TØKIO M¥ERS fuses the classics with cinematic, hip-hop, dance, ‘90s soul and other influences to create his own inimitable sound and shatter the boundaries between genres.

His approach to his work has close parallels with that of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers: using tradition as his creative foundation, he harnesses the craft and discipline of his classical music training in order to take it in new directions. As with watchmaking at La Grande Maison, TØKIO M¥ERS’ work is highly sophisticated, and anchored in deep technical complexity. He designs and produces his own live performances, capturing the visual potential of music and pushing it to new limits with lighting and pyrotechnics. Visually spectacular and emotionally absorbing, his work is redefining what classical music can be.

“Music has never been static; it's in constant evolution,” says TØKIO M¥ERS. “For me, it starts with mastery of the basics, then breaking free from the norms and composing my own story – constantly searching for the balance between the voices of the past and my own. Composing for Jaeger-LeCoultre was so natural for me because we're looking for the same thing; there's a common goal: to reinvent the classic and find what is universal and timeless.”

A New Composition inspired by the Spirit of the Manufacture

Under the aegis of Made of Makers, Jaeger-LeCoultre has commissioned TØKIO M¥ERS to compose a soundtrack exclusively for the Maison’s Golden Ratio Musical Show. The spectacular 10-minute sound-and-light show – projected onto a giant screen of falling water – tells the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters, from its presence in nature, to the scientific examination of its mystical properties; and from its ubiquity in timeless architecture and art to its impact on contemporary design. TØKIO M¥ERS says that he wrote his new piece “with the explicit intention of amplifying the emotional impact of the digital projection” and describes the work as “a short symphony in four chapters, or movements, that takes the listener on a powerful journey”.

Like all Made of Makers artists, TØKIO M¥ERS has visited the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux, absorbing the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, and spending time with the watchmakers and artisans. “Being in Le Sentier, seeing first-hand how Jaeger-LeCoultre operates, experiencing the atmosphere in the Manufacture, seeing all the skills, hearing all of the different sounds, enjoying the calm surroundings of the Vallée de Joux – that gave me a lot of inspiration to draw on,” he says. “And the Golden Ratio theme gave me the idea of translating that mathematical formula of 1.618 [Phi] into a tempo of 161.8 beats per minute.”

A Shanghai Debut followed by a World Tour

TØKIO M¥ERS will give the first performance of his new composition at a private event hosted by Jaeger-LeCoultre during the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 9. The show will then travel to Los Angeles on June 22, London in September, followed by Dubai at the end of the year.

Conceived by Jaeger-LeCoultre as part of its wider mission to bring inspiring and original experiences of the world of watchmaking to audiences around the world, The Golden Ratio Musical Show is an opportunity to discover the story of the Reverso in entirely new ways. The show will be staged in the 1931 Cinema, a specially designed setting inspired by the world’s first Drive-In Cinema, which – like the Reverso – was created at the height of the Art Deco period. The 1931 Cinema follows the creation two years ago of the 1931 Café, which is a feature of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s major events and exhibitions around the world.

WITH AN ORIGINAL SYMPHONY COMPOSED BY TØKIO M¥ERS

From June 22–25 in Los Angeles, Jaeger-LeCoultre will have the pleasure of welcoming guests to The Golden Ratio Musical Show. Presented in an inspiring open-air venue, the spectacular sound and light show celebrates the Golden Ratio – the unique mathematical formula that defines the aesthetic harmony that we, as humans, are instinctively drawn to. The ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS has composed a new soundtrack especially for the show, commissioned by Jaeger-LeCoultre through its Made of Makers programme.

Presenting Design in a New Cultural Context

With The Golden Ratio Musical Show, Jaeger-LeCoultre continues to expand the cultural conversation around design and watchmaking, exploring their elemental links through the lens of the Reverso watch, which is widely acknowledged as an icon of 20^th-century design. The 1931 Cinema, the show’s specially designed setting, offers guests a deep immersion in the style and ambience of the Art Deco period, when the Reverso was created. Enhancing the experience, refreshments will be provided by the nomadic 1931 Café. Constructed in an open-air setting at Westfield Century City on Santa Monica Boulevard, the outdoor concept also pays homage to the world’s first drive-in movie theatre, which opened in 1933 and spawned a new form of entertainment that was to become deeply embedded in American popular culture.

An Enthralling Sound-and-Light Show

The centrepiece of the 1931 Cinema is The Golden Ratio Musical Show, a spectacular sound-and-light show projected onto a giant screen of falling water. The 10-minute production tells the story of the Golden Ratio in four chapters, tracing the path from the observation of nature and the hidden harmonies that connect its most beautiful forms, to the scientific examination of the mystical properties of beauty and the quest to define their geometry, which led to the discovery of the mathematical formula 1.618, also known as Phi (φ). It continues by exploring how this ‘golden number’ or ‘divine proportion’ has marked cultural history, architecture and art and concludes by presenting the Reverso, created at the height of the Art Deco movement, which expresses the spirit of the Golden Ratio with utmost eloquence.

A Specially Commissioned Soundtrack by TØKIO M¥ERS

For The Golden Ratio Musical Show, Jaeger-LeCoultre commissioned a soundtrack from the ground-breaking British musician and composer TØKIO M¥ERS, who is gaining worldwide recognition as one of the most original artists to emerge in recent years. A graduate of the Royal College of Music, celebrated for his experimental fusions of classical music with cinematic, hip-hop, dance, ‘90s soul and other influences, TØKIO M¥ERS is also a gifted pianist and percussionist, and a performer of immense range and dynamic power. Through compositions that transcend time and genres, he creates dialogues between the past and present, redefining what classical music can be.

Having taken inspiration from time spent at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture in the Swiss Jura Mountains, TØKIO M¥ERS says that he wrote the new piece “with the explicit intention of amplifying the emotional impact of the digital projection”. He describes the work as “a short symphony in four chapters, or movements, that takes the listener on a powerful journey”. Amplifying the Golden Ratio theme, he translated the number 1.618 into a tempo of 161.8 beats per minute. “I incorporated the Golden Ratio as the driving tempo throughout the piece. I’ve never written in this tempo before and it’s a wonderful tempo to write in,” he says.

First Stop on a World Tour

The Golden Ratio Musical Show begins a world tour in Los Angeles, following its debut in Shanghai. The event opens on June 22 with an invitation-only gala, during which TØKIO M¥ERS will give a live performance of his soundtrack. He will be accompanied by the acclaimed L.E.Orchband, a Los Angeles-based collective of world-class musicians from leading orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic. Following this, TØKIO M¥ERS will perform a concert of his other work, complete with the signature lighting that makes his solo performances so dynamic.

During its Los Angeles season, the 1931 Cinema will be open free of charge to the public from June 22-25, offering the opportunity to experience design and watchmaking in an entirely new cultural context. The space will be open throughout the day from 10 am–10pm, with The Golden Ratio Musical Show beginning at 7pm and running on a 20-minute cycle until 10pm.

Following its Los Angeles season, the 1931 Cinema and The Golden Ratio Musical Show will travel to London and Dubai during 2023.